My KR problem, temperature.

[a d v o C a t e s]

I tried riding my KR during the daytime for some time then the temperature gauge will move up. A shop told me it's due to dirty radiator, he washed already still dirty. So is the temperature really due to dirty radiator ? should I change a new radiator ?

[Raptor]

I tried riding my KR during the daytime for some time then the temperature gauge will move up. A shop told me it's due to dirty radiator, he washed already still dirty. So is the temperature really due to dirty radiator ? should I change a new radiator ?

 

What do you mean by some time? How long is that? Is it a problem of going up too fast or taking too long to go up?

 

What do you mean by wash the radiator? Did they use chemicals to flush the radiator out?

 

Old school type coolants (read as the cheap ones) require a 50% coolant and 50% water mix. The water cannot be tap water but should be distilled water. Most of the mechanics who do not know what they are doing... will just add tap water. Tap water contains dissolved minerals which will form oxides which coats the inside of the radiator passages and also in the engine block.

 

When these passages get blocked over time, the cooling efficiency of the radiator goes. A chemical additive is added into the radiator and the engine allowed to run to circulate it around to dissolve these oxides in a chemical flush. Sticking a hose from a tap into the radiator and flushing it ain't doing crap for it... the oxides are still in there.

 

A radiator works on the pressure cooker principle. The higher the pressure, the higher the boiling point of the coolant. All radiator caps are designed to pressure seal the radiator, which is why you see a spring under the cap. Look at the top of the radiator cap and it will tell you how many atmospheric bars is the spring set to. On some caps you see 1.2 bar and others you may see 1.4 bars. If the spring is weak (over time) or if the rubber gasket of the cap is hardened, cracked or torn, the pressure in the radiator will escape which will allow the coolant to boil. This boiling will form oxides and also the efficiency of the radiator drops and the bike will run hotter than normal.

 

One of the most common cause of overheating in a bike without evidence of coolant loss is.... a lousy radiator cap. Replacement caps are less than $10.

And IMHO it is a good practice to replace the radiator cap once a year. A bad radiator cap can cause engine overheating and cracked cylinder heads. Which is a cheaper investment?? Go figure.

 

Most bike shop mechanics will tell you something is wrong with the radiator just to make money out of you.

 

Ignorance is bliss... and thats how the mechanics of some shops make money out of you.

[a d v o C a t e s]

Thanks a lot for the information! but do you know how to tell a original radiator cap and non-org ones ? The one I using now doesn't have any spring on the cap.

[Raptor]

Thanks a lot for the information! but do you know how to tell a original radiator cap and non-org ones ? The one I using now doesn't have any spring on the cap.

 

All radiator caps have a spring loaded seal and have the rated pressure bar indicated on the top of the cap.

 

Please go look at any other liquid cooled bike's radiator cap.

 

Your problem here is not about whether you got an orginal or non-original radiator cap... your problem is... if there is no spring loaded seal on the cap... I don't know what kind of cap your mechanic has put on your radiator.

[nash823]

bro for yr info the spring in unda the cap(:

[a d v o C a t e s]

the cap i using now have a yellow sticker, they say its not those original one, but i dont know whether is spring is okay or not.